


Something to Talk About

by xtremeroswellian



Category: Roswell (TV 1999)
Genre: And so do I, Awesome Maria DeLuca, BAMF Alex Whitman, Because Maria hates her, But he was kind of a jerk in season one, Coed Sleepovers, Dances, F/M, Fluff, Friends to more, Jealousy, Kyle's kind of a jerk in this, Major Tess bashing, Maria DeLuca: Matchmaker, Maria's creative names for Tess, Not Tess friendly, Rumors, Shippy, Unconventional Couples, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 07:00:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23467264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Maria DeLuca decides to secretly play matchmaker for her best friends.
Relationships: Isabel Evans/Kyle Valenti, Liz Parker & Maria Deluca & Alex Whitman, Liz Parker/Alex Whitman, Maria DeLuca/Michael Guerin, Max Evans/Tess Harding, Past Isabel Evans/Alex Whitman, Past Max Evans/Liz Parker
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Alex watched Isabel talking with Kyle at lunch. She was laughing at something he was saying and smiling at him. It wasn't a surprise really. Kyle was much more Isabel's type than he was. After all, Kyle was the star player of West Roswell High's Football team, and the basketball team, and every other team there. He was popular and hung out with the same crowds she did. It just made sense.

Why in the world had he thought he could make someone like Isabel Evans happy?

Him, Alex Charles Whitman. He wasn't popular. He didn't play any sports other than the occasional game of dodgeball in gym, and even if he had, no way would he be the star of the team. Hell, he wasn't even the star of his own band. Once Maria had joined, she was the one who got all the attention because she was the singer. Not that she wasn't good. She was. Damn good, in fact. Alex had no clue that she could sing like that.

That's what he was. Clueless, left in the dark. Alone. Again.

Sure, he and Isabel had some good times. She seemed to enjoy his company. More like, tolerated him. But now that Kyle knew the truth about who she was, she spent the majority of her time with him. And that hurt. More than he thought it could.

Alex turned away from the sight of them eating lunch together and closed his eyes.

"Alex!"

He winced and turned back around to meet Isabel's eyes. He gave a little wave.

"Come over and eat with us," she called.

He groaned inwardly. The last thing he felt like doing was eating lunch with Isabel and her new boyfriend. He didn't like Kyle in the first place. He'd never liked him when Liz was going out with him, let alone his own ex-girlfriend.

Somehow he managed the short walk to their table and he sat down slowly, taking note of the look of warning Kyle was giving him. He met his eyes and gave him a withered look right back. Then he pulled open his lunch sack and pulled out an apple.

"Nice lunch," Kyle commented sarcastically.

Alex shrugged. "You know what they say. An apple a day--"

"Keeps the losers away. Too bad I didn't think about that," Kyle finished.

"So, how are you guys doing on that history project?" Isabel asked, trying to change the subject.

"Finished it last weekend," Alex said, taking a bite of the apple.

"I haven't even started," Isabel said, shaking her head with a sigh.

"What a coincidence. I haven't either," Kyle said, smiling at her. "Why don't we work together?"

"Okay," she agreed, returning his smile.

Kyle smirked at Alex.

Alex rolled his eyes and glanced past him to see Michael and Maria heading over to the table.

"Hey, Alex," Maria said, looking at him, and then over at Isabel and Kyle, and she frowned. Michael sat down across from Isabel and Maria sat down between him and Alex. "So, what's up?"

"Not much."

Maria elbowed him in the side, and then leaned over to whisper in his ear. "You okay?"

He looked at her. "I'm fine. No big deal." Alex took another bite of his apple, focusing his complete attention on eating. When he finished a few minutes later, he stood up. "Well, catch you later." He walked away from the table, tossing his paper sack in the trash can. He'd had enough of lunch to last him the week.

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Liz wiped a droplet of sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand and tried to catch her breath as the volleyball sailed over the net to the other team.

Tess Harding shouted, "Got it!" and slammed it over the net, directly at her.

Liz barely had the chance to look back up as the ball smacked her in the face and she fell down onto her back on the cold gym floor.

"Oh, my God, Lizzie!" Maria shrieked, rushing to her side. She knelt down next to her friend, looking down at her in horror. There was blood everywhere. "Liz! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Liz goaned, and tried to sit up, covering her nose with her hand in an attempt to stop it from bleeding. "Gross."

Maria helped her up. "Let's get you to the locker room and get you cleaned up," she said quickly. She threw a glare of pure hatred at Tess, put her arm around Liz, and guided her to the locker room.

Liz stood in front of the sink, turning on the cold water and letting it run as Maria handed her a paper towel.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Liz wet the paper towel and held it up to her nose, glaring at her own reflection in the mirror.

"She did it on purpose, you know."

"I know."

They were both silent for a moment.

"What I don't get is, like, why she did it. I mean, you and Max aren't together anymore."

"Yeah, I think she's trying to warn me to keep it that way," Liz muttered, grimacing at the blood soaking into the paper towel.

"Maybe I should go get Isabel or Max," Maria said nervously.

"No! I'm fine, Maria. I don't need their help." She threw the paper towel away and got a clean one, repeating the process.

"Do you think it's broken?" she asked.

"No," Liz answered.

"God, I hate that bitch," Maria said angrily. "I wish she never came here."

"Yeah, well, she and Max were destined to be together, remember? She would've moved here sooner or later."

"No, I meant I wish she never came to this planet." Maria looked at Liz through the mirror, catching her gaze.

"Yeah," Liz echoed. "That makes two of us."

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Maria sat down in sixth period history and made a point to glare at Tess until Mr. Krulick came in. She didn't even notice as Alex dropped into the seat behind her. "Careful there, DeLuca. Might burn a hole in the wrong Czechaslavokian," he warned as Michael sat down next to Maria, blocking her view of Tess.

"I'd love to burn a hole in her pointy little head," Maria muttered.

Michael glanced over his shoulder at Tess, who smiled at him. He frowned and then faced Maria again. "What now? Or is this just today's appointed wish-Tess-dead-time?"

"We were playing volleyball in p.e. last hour, and that soulmate thief slammed the ball right into Liz's face."

"Is Liz okay?" Alex asked in concern, leaning forward in his chair.

"I think so. She had a bloody nose, but she doesn't think it's broken."

Alex frowned. "Did she go home?"

"No. She went to class. She said something about not letting Tess get to her." Maria's eyes darkened. "You know, one of these days, I'm going to teach that little slut a lesson, and she's going to be sorry she ever came to Roswell."

"Do you have anymore names you can call her? You seem to come up with something new every day," Michael said, trying not to grin.

She glared at him. "It's not funny, Michael. Liz was hurt. Not once, but over and over again. And if it's not by that gerbil, it's by Max."

"Liz is the one who walked out on him," he pointed out.

"Yeah, and he didn't seem to fight it a whole lot," she argued. "I mean, he saves her life and then messes with her head for over a year, and then his psycho, pre-destined, barbie-freak girlfriend torments her every day. I don't call that fair."

"I'll second you on that one," Alex agreed, leaning back against his chair and folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, I'll tell you what. One of these days, karma's going to catch up with them, and hopefully it'll wipe the floor clean with them, and wax it." Maria faced forward as Mr. Krulick came in and began the lecture.

Michael just shook his head and tried to pay attention.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz winced at the sight of her bruised nose in the mirror. God, she looked awful. She had to go back to work in a few minutes, and she dreaded it. Maria had the night off, and was studying for the economics exam, or she'd call and ask her to cover for Agnes, who had called in sick. Instead, she was going to be stuck finishing the entire Wednesday night dinner shift alone.

A perfectly sucky ending to a perfectly sucky day, she thought wryly.

And, when she looked out front and saw Max and Tess sitting out there together in a booth, she nearly decided to close the cafe early. After all, her parents were out of town and told her if she couldn't handle it, she could close up shop until they got back.

I can handle it, she told herself. She straightened her uniform, took a deep breath and pushed the door open, stepping out into the front of the cafe. I can do this. I can do this. I am in control. She walked over to Max and Tess's table and forced herself to smile. "Welcome to the Crashdown. Can I get you something to drink?"

Max looked up at her, meeting her eyes for a brief moment, before looking away. "Cherry coke."

Liz nodded. "Tess? Can I get you something?"

Tess smiled sweetly at her. "An alien blast would be great," she said, moving her gaze to Max, who turned red. She reached across the table and stroked his arm.

Liz turned away and headed for the soda machine. She mused over how awful the day had been. The past few weeks, actually. Ever since Tess had shown up. It had all gone downhill from there. She'd come to town, informed Max that his destiny was with her, Isabel's was with Michael, and nearly ripped the six of them apart for good.

Then everything else happened: Max being taken by Pierce, nearly getting killed by the FBI, Kyle getting shot and Max healing him, and of course her decision to leave Max to his destiny, whatever it might be. Had she done the right thing? Would it be different now if she'd chosen to stay with him that day in the cave? He hadn't really tried to talk her out of it afterwards.

Michael and Isabel had decided against their destinies. "No one tells me what to do," Michael had said once, rather smugly. Kyle of course, set his sights on Isabel, who didn't attempt to fight off his apparent affections, even though she and Alex had been dating.

Of all the things that had happened, Liz felt the worst about dragging Alex into it. He'd done nothing but get hurt because of her involving him. Not only did she put his life in danger, but she was indirectly the cause of Isabel breaking his heart. And no matter how bad she felt about losing Max to Tess, for her, seeing Alex so hurt was worse. She hated seeing her friends in pain.

Ironic that the one couple of the three of them that no one could actually see staying together, had done so. Maria and Michael still had their disagreements and fights, but they loved each other. Michael had lost some of his rough-edge because of Maria, and Maria had become a more calm, rational individual because of Michael. Most of the time, anyway.

"Miss, can I get my food some time tonight, please?"

Liz turned to see the man in the corner booth glaring at her in frustration. "Just a moment, Sir, I'll check with the cook," she said, setting Tess and Max's drinks on the counter and going over to the kitchen window. "Jose! Is that Mulder and Scully dinner finished yet?"

Jose leaned against the window. "What Mulder and Scully dinner?" he asked, frowning.

Liz stared at him. "Please tell me you're joking."

He sighed. "I'll start on it."

She turned away and picked up the drinks again. She took them over to Max and Tess. "Are you guys ready to order yet?"

Max looked up at her. "Um, I'm not really hungry," he said quietly. Their eyes locked for a moment.

Liz blinked and turned to look at Tess.

"I think I'll have an order of Saturn Rings and a Venus Burger," she said, smiling as she accidently knocked over her milkshake and spilled it on the table. "Oh, I'm sorry, Liz."

She stared at Tess for a moment, resisting the urge to slap her right there in front of Max. Instead, she smiled. "That's okay, Tess. Not a problem." Liz turned in Tess's order, and she hurried to the sink, and grabbed a rag, returning to their table a moment later. She quickly cleaned up the mess. "I'll get you another drink."

"Thanks," Tess said sweetly. "Oh, and Liz, I changed my mind. I'd like to have an order of fries and a Mulder and Scully dinner."

Liz bit her tongue and headed away from the table.

"Uh, Liz! Wait!" Max called, standing up.

She turned around, her eyes angry. "What?"

He cringed. "Don't cancel the order. I'll eat the other one," he said, meeting her eyes.

"Fine." She turned away again, and flung the rag into the sink, slopping milkshake onto the front of her uniform. "Oh, great! Wonderful," she muttered.

"Problems?" Jose asked, glancing at her through the window.

"You could say that." She glanced back at the guy in the corner booth. His face was bright red. "Uh, Jose, is that Mulder and Scully dinner finished yet? That guy's looking really mad."

"Five more minutes."

She heard the door open and a group of football players from school gathered in a booth. "Oh, man," she said under her breath.

"Is my dinner ready yet?" the guy demanded, storming up to the counter and leaning over it towards her.

She automatically stepped back. "It'll be ready in five minutes, Sir."

"Look, I came here a half hour ago because I was hungry. I didn't come here to listen to incompetent reasons on why it takes a goddamned half-hour to get a freaking burger and some fries! This is bullshit!" he said angrily.

Liz looked helplessly over her shoulder to Jose, who shrugged. "I'm really sorry for the delay, Sir. We're a little short-handed tonight. Your dinner's on the house, okay?"

The man relaxed a little. "I'll just go wait in my booth some more." He walked off.

Liz took a deep breath and fixed another alien blast for Tess. Then she hurried over to their table and set it down without saying another word. She hurried off to table two, where Kyle Valenti's friends Paulie and Tommy sat with five of their friends. "Whoa, Parker, what happened to your nose?" Paulie asked, staring at her.

She shifted self-consciously. "Volleyball. Can I get you guys something to drink?" She looked up in time to see the door open and another stream of people flood inside.

"I'll have an alien encounter," Tommy said, pulling her attention back to their table.

"Ditto," Paulie agreed.

"I'll have a Mountain Dew."

"Lemonade."

"Alien blast."

The other two didn't order anything. She quickly jotted everything down and all but ran to the soda fountain and milkshake machine. She filled the glasses and made the milk shakes in record time, returning to their table and promising to get their orders in a few minutes.

Liz hurried to the window and grabbed the first Mulder and Scully dinner and took it to the guy in the corner booth. Needless to say, he didn't thank her.

She grabbed the second dinner, along with the Saturn Rings and Venus Burger, and took them over to Max and Tess. Tess took one look at her burger and shoved it back at her. "This isn't done."

Liz stared at her. "Can't you just--?" she waved her hand in the air.

"Not with all these people around." Tess glared at her for suggesting it.

"Tess, I'll eat it," Max volunteered, grabbing the plate.

"No, Max, I want the Mulder and Scully dinner!" she said, handing the plate back to Liz.

"Well, then let me finish it," he said quietly, taking the plate from Liz.

"No, Max, I--" Tess started.

Liz grabbed the plate from him. "Forget it, Max! I've got it!" she snapped, turning on heel and walking back over to the window. She shoved it on the ledge. "Jose, the burger's not done."

Jose took the plate back wordlessly, and turned away.

Liz leaned against the sink for a moment, closing her eyes in an attempt to regain her composure. She took a deep breath and tried to relax.

Someone touched her arm. "You okay?"

She looked up, startled, into Alex's eyes. He stood next to her, looking at her in concern. "I'm okay," she lied.

Alex saw right through it. "Actually, it kinda looks like you could use some help." He glanced around the cafe. "You're on by yourself?"

"Yeah, Agnes called in sick, and Maria's studying for a big test, so I'm on my own."

Without her saying another word, he headed for the back. She stared after him, puzzled, and a moment later, he returned, tying an alien apron around his own waist. "What tables do you need me to cover?" he asked.

She paused, then smiled at him greatfully. "Well, if you could take Maria's section, I'd really appreciate it."

He grinned at her, then glanced over at Max and Tess's table. "I'll take over that one, too," he told her.

Liz followed his gaze, then shook her head. "You don't have to--"

"I know."

Their eyes met, and she finally nodded. "Thanks, Alex."

"No problem." He headed off to take orders, and for the first time all evening, Liz actually felt a little better.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex set a plate of food in front of Tess, and started away.

"Wait...I think I'd rather just have a fresh dinner, not one that's just been reheated," Tess complained.

He looked back at her, and smiled. "Well, unless you're willing to take a chance on coming down with a sudden case of arsenic poisoning, I'd eat what you just got served. Wait! On second thought, let me get you something fresh, please."

She stared at him in shock. Max's look nearly mirrored Tess's. He'd never heard Alex be that flat out rude to anyone before.

"I think we'll just be going now," Tess said, glaring at him, and grabbing Max's hand.

"Thanks for dining at the Crashdown. Please don't come back!" Alex called after them. He couldn't hold back a chuckle as Tess threw another glare his way. He just smiled and waggled his fingers at her, and she stormed out the door, Max in tow. "Good riddance," he said under his breath.

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Liz was dead tired. Even with Alex's help, the Cafe had been swamped all night. Big surprise. There's never anything decent on television Wednesday nights, Liz thought as she laid her head down on the counter, closing her eyes.

She wasn't even sure if she could make it up the stairs and to her room without collapsing on the way, not to mention all the calculas homework she had to do for tomorrow's class. She had hoped that since she was actually taking a study hall this year, it would help ease some of the pressure of homework during her junior year, but so far it hadn't really helped much.

And then, of course, there was Max. And Tess.

As if she wasn't already having enough difficulty staying caught up in her advanced classes, she had to worry about what Tess was going to do to her every day of the week.

Maria wanted to kill her, and Liz knew it. So on top of everything else, she had to worry about Maria's safety. After all, Tess was an alien, too, and had the ability to kill with a touch if she wanted to. If Maria actually did go after Tess, then--Liz didn't want to think about what would happen.

Alex watched her in concern from the kitchen doorway. He'd never seen her so tired before. She was always full of energy, and always tried to stay optomistic about everything, but now...Now the past year had finally caught up to her.

He walked over to where she was sitting, her head down on the counter. Alex put an arm around her waist, and she opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Come on," he said gently as he helped her up. He pulled her against him and helped her to the back, and up the stairs to her family's apartment.

Alex lead her down the hallway to her room, and she promptly dropped onto the bed, closing her eyes in exhaustion. He gently pulled the covers over her, and turned to go, when he heard her whisper his name.

"Alex..."

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

"Thanks."

He smiled into the darkness. "Anytime," he said softly, pulling the door shut behind him as he left her room.

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Liz slid into the driver's seat of her parents' car and turned the key in the ignition. The car didn't start. She groaned and tried again, then smacked her hand on the steering wheel in frustration when it still didn't work.

"Great. Now what?" she said aloud.

Maria.

Liz pulled out her cell phone and dialed Maria's telephone number. There was no answer at her house, and apparently her cell phone wasn't turned on.

"Damn," she muttered. She sat in the car for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. Then, with a sigh, she realized she'd have to walk to school unless she wanted to call Max or Kyle, which she didn't.

She reluctantly climbed out of the car and started the long walk to school. She'd only walked about two blocks when a car pulled up alongside her. She glanced over as Alex leaned out the window of his Rabbit, squinting at her in the sunlight. "Need a ride?"

Liz didn't hesitate hurrying to the other side of the car and climbing in the passenger seat. "Thanks."

He nodded and stared out the windshield. Then he glanced at her sideways. "Um, Liz?"

"Yeah?" She looked straight ahead.

"I just...Wanted to apologize to you."

Liz frowned. "For what?"

"For what happened with us before, you know, when Topolsky was here the first time...I never apologized for saying all that stuff I said about us not being friends anymore, and everything."

"It's okay, Alex."

Another moment of silence.

Then, "Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, too, you know, for dragging you into this whole mess...I never meant for you to get hurt or get into trouble because of me," she said quietly, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes.

He glanced over at her again, realized she was a millisecond away from crying, and slowed the car to a stop, putting it into park. He reached over and held his arms out to her.

Liz smiled through her tears and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Hey," he said quietly. "I'm glad you dragged me into it. I was afraid you didn't want me as your friend anymore."

She shook her head. "You have no idea how hard it was not telling you all those months, Alex. I was afraid you were going to hate me," she admitted.

Alex pulled away from her, and looked down into her eyes. "Liz, I could never hate you. You've been my best friend since the fifth grade. I don't ever want that to change." He kissed her forehead, and gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

"Me either," she said softly.

They smiled at one another. Then Alex put the car into gear again, and they drove to school.

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Liz walked down the halls of West Roswell High, feeling better than she had in weeks. The talk she'd had with Alex that morning had really helped her, and she knew they were okay. She walked into study hall before lunch, prepared to tackle some calculas she'd been having trouble with.

What happened however, blew her concentration for the day. Max was sitting on the teacher's desk, Tess in his lap, straddling him, engaged in an intense make-out session.

Liz stared at them for a moment before turning away. She walked out of the classroom and down the hall towards the girl's restroom. She didn't make it.

Tommy Mattheson stepped out in front of her. "Hey, Liz."

"Hey," she muttered, trying to move around him, but he moved in front of her again. Angrily, she looked up and met his eyes.

"So, now that you and Max aren't dating anymore, I thought maybe we could go out sometime."

"I don't think so, Tommy." She tried to move around him again, but again he stopped her.

"What? You think you're too good for me?" he demanded.

"I didn't say that. I just said I didn't want to go out with you."

"You should be glad I'm asking you," Tommy commented. "After you whored around with Kyle and Max, not too many guys would want you."

Her mouth dropped open in shock and before she even realized it, she reached up and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

Tommy drew back, stunned that someone her size could hit that hard. Then he got angry and grabbed her arm.

"Hey! Let her go, asshole!" Maria shouted, charging towards them. She shoved him back, hard. "Keep your filthy hands off her, you jerk!" She turned to look at Liz. "You okay?"

"I'm okay."

Maria glared at Tommy. "If you don't get out of here right now, I swear to God I'm going to scream, and then you'll be really sorry."

He glared back at her, but then turned and walked away.

"Prick," Maria muttered. She faced Liz again. "Are you sure you're okay? What happened? I thought you had study hall."

"Yeah, well the hour's entertainment was too much to stomach," Liz told her, pushing the girl's restroom door open and stepping inside.

Maria followed her. "Uh-oh. What happened?"

"Max and Tess." Liz turned on the cold water and splashed her face with a handful, then turned it off and grabbed a paper towel.

"Enough said," Maria agreed, rolling her eyes. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to kill that stupid little slut puppy."

Liz couldn't help grin. "Be sure and save me a front row seat."

Maria grinned back. "Oh, come on, you know you want a little floor action."

"Maria!"

"Admit it. You'd like to rip each and every frizzy curl off the dumb bitch's head."

"Yeah, well. Just keep in mind that she can kill either one of us at any given second," Liz reminded her.

"Let her try. We have Michael Guerin on our side."

"And Alex Whitman."

Maria glanced in the mirror. "So, see. We'll be perfectly fine." She turned back to Liz. "So, wanna ditch the rest of the day?"

Liz grimaced. "I wish. I have biology right after lunch, and I can't afford to miss." She sighed. "What class are you missing right now?"

"History. Want to go get an ice cream cone at Macy's?"

"What about history?" Liz asked.

Maria draped an arm around her friend's shoulders. "George Washington can wait. Right now I have a major craving for chocolate raspberry truffle."

Liz grinned.

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Alex sat down at a table by himself at lunch, and a few moments later, Michael sat down across from him. "Hey."

"Hey," Alex replied, glancing down at his sack lunch. He looked around the school yard, and then back at Michael. "Where's Maria?"

He shrugged. "She disappeared sometime last hour."

"Disappeared?" Alex frowned.

"Nevermind. There they are." Michael nodded towards Liz and Maria, who were approaching their table.

Alex looked over his shoulder and smiled at his friends as they sat down. Maria sat down next to Michael, Liz sat down across from her, next to Alex.

"Where'd you go?" Michael asked Maria.

"We were both in the mood for some ice cream," she explained as she pulled out a small container of pistaccio ice cream from a bag and set it in front of him.

"Thanks."

Liz pulled out a container of orange sherbert and handed it to Alex. "Thought you might like this."

"Thank you," he said, smiling at her as their eyes met. A feeling of relief swept over him. Being around Liz finally felt normal again. It was...nice. A couple stepping into the school yard caught his attention, and he looked away quickly.

Maria and Liz exchanged a look, and Michael frowned in disapproval as Isabel and Kyle came to sit down with them.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Isabel asked, smiling at them. Kyle put an arm around her shoulders, and smirked at Alex.

Liz and Maria glared at Kyle, and then Liz touched Alex's arm. "Hey, I hate to interrupt your lunch, but I need your help on that chemistry lab, if you don't mind."

Alex met her eyes, and then nodded. "Let's go." He grabbed his lunch sack, and stood up, and followed her back into the school building. "Thanks for getting me out of there."

"Not a problem," she assured him. "You should probably eat that before it melts, though," she added, glancing at the container of orange sherbert he was carrying.

"Right." He sat down next to her on a bench when they reached the lobby of the school building. Then he pulled off the top of the container. He dug into his lunch sack searching for a spoon, glad for once that his mother had sent him two instead of just one. "Here," he said, handing one of the spoons to Liz and pushing the container in front of her.

Liz smiled at him and took a bite out of the ice cream, then watched as he did the same. A drop of it rolled down his chin and he searched for a napkin, but before he had a chance to find one, Liz reached up and wiped it off with her thumb.

He laughed, only slightly embarrassed. After all, this was Liz. They'd been friends for what seemed like forever, and she'd seen him at his best and at his worst, and this didn't compare to the worst he'd been.

Alex offered her more ice cream, but she shook her head in silent refusal, and he finished off the container and tossed it in the wastebasket. "Well, shall we go to chemistry?"

"Let's." She linked arms with him, and they headed off.

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The next hour seemed to crawl by. Alex wasn't that good at chemistry, and he was glad beyond words to have Liz as his lab partner. She was great at this stuff. But today she was distracted, and before he had chance to wonder why, he followed her gaze to the table diagnoally across from them. To Max and Tess's lab table.

Tess kept brushing up against Max's arm every time she reached for a test tube, and at one point, she actually reached down and brushed her hand against the front of his jeans. Alex looked away, thoroughly disgusted. Out of all the things that were on his list of "Things Alex Whitman Never Wanted to See," that was pretty much right up there at the top of that list.

He glanced over at Liz, who was attempting to pour hydochloric acid into a test tube. Her hand was shaking uncontrollably, and he reached out and gently closed his hand over hers, steadying it. Liz closed her eyes, and he knew she was fighting the urge to cry. He removed the beaker of acid from her hand and poured it into the test tube for her, then set it back on the table.

Alex fought to keep his anger at Max Evans under control. How dare he sit there and engage in that kind of activity in front of Liz. And he thought he hated Kyle Valenti.

He touched Liz's arm again, and she took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. She finally opened her eyes, and the nodded to let him know she was okay. For now.

Somehow they managed to finish the lab, and the second the bell rang, all of the students with the exception of Liz and him, rushed out the door to their next class. Max lingered in the doorway, as if sensing something was wrong. "Liz? Are you okay?"

She turned away from him, and Alex met Max's eyes with a cold glare. "She's fine." There was a hint of warning in his voice, and Max knew it. Dropping his eyes, he turned and walked out of the lab.

Less than a second later, Liz was in tears. Alex pulled her into his arms, holding her and trying to comfort her. "It's okay," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. He drew away from her and gently brushed away her tears with his thumbs. He kissed her forehead. "He's an idiot, Liz. If he can't see how much better you are then that...psychotic barbie wannabe, then he doesn't deserve you anyway."

She choked back a half-laugh, half-sob at his reference to Tess. "You've been hanging around Maria, haven't you?" she asked.

He smiled. "Guilty. But she's right." He hugged her again, closing his eyes. Neither of them noticed the wide-eyed Stacey Schenin standing in the doorway, staring at them in shock for a moment before turning and hurrying down the hall.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz was walking out of the school that day, carrying her bookbag on her shoulder as she glanced up at the clear blue sky. It was warm, warmer than usual. And supposed to get hotter as the weekend approached. Great.

She saw Paulie and Tommy and a bunch of their friends sitting in Paulie's truck, talking a few feet away from her.

"...why anyone would want to date him. I mean, what did Isabel Evans see in him in the first place?"

"She must be desperate if she's dating Whitman."

"Yeah. Why else would she want to date such a loser?"

A bolt of anger raced through Liz, and without taking the time to stop and consider what she was doing, she walked right up to the group. "I couldn't help over-hearing your conversation about my friend. For your information, Alex Whitman is probably the nicest, most considerate, caring guy in this whole school. He's not conceited, and he's never hurt anyone in his entire life! The only losers here are you!"

All seven of the guys stared at her in shock. Liz Parker had never yelled at anyone before. She never lost control of her emotions. Maria DeLuca was known for confronting the people who picked on or made fun of her friends, but never Liz. And now, here she was, yelling at not one of them, but all seven of them at once.

Liz glared at them fiercely. "If any of you had one small amount of Alex's personality, you wouldn't have to hide behind your stupid football uniforms!" And with that, she stormed away, leaving them all to gape in her absence.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria finished washing off the counter, and started to sweep the floor of the Crashdown when she heard the door open. She smiled even though her back was to the door. She knew instinctively that it was Michael. "Hey."

Michael blinked in surprise, but then smiled. "Hey." He wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. "Guess what I heard."

"What?" she murmured, her attention focused on the sensation of his lips on her neck.

"I heard a heatwave is supposed to hit this weekend."

"I think it already hit," she commented, closing her eyes.

He grinned at her response and turned her around in his arms, kissing her on the lips. "Ditto."

"Hey, my mom's out of town for the weekend," Maria said suddenly.

"Really." He kissed her again. "So, then you don't have to be home early, huh."

"Nope." She ran her hands over his chest. "In fact, I don't have to go home at all." Maria grinned at him as his eyes widened. "Don't get any ideas, Spaceboy. I was talking strictly sleeping."

"Yeah," he said, smirking.

"Well, maybe not just sleeping...but not what you're thinking, either."

Michael smiled at her. "Are you done here?"

Maria glanced back at the unswept floor that wasn't that dirty. "Yeah, let's go." She grabbed her keys, and locked up the cafe on her way out. Then she took Michael's hand as they headed to her car.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isabel Evans was upset. She glared at the clock on the wall as she waited for her brother to get home from his date with Tess. She wondered if he had heard the rumors. She'd been in 8th period English class when Pam Troy had announced to the class that Stacey Schenin had seen Alex Whitman making out with Liz Parker right after 5th hour chemistry.

Surely not.

Not that she cared. She was with Kyle. She didn't care if Alex and Liz were together.

I don't care at all, she told herself.

When her brother still wasn't home a half-hour later, she grabbed the keys to the jeep and headed over to Michael's apartment.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael and Maria were sitting on his couch, kissing. Well, technically, Michael was sitting on the couch, Maria was sitting in his lap. And what they were doing went a little beyond kissing...

"You are not going to believe what I heard--" Michael heard Isabel say as his apartment door opened, and the light flipped on. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him and Maria, turning red. "Sorry."

"That's why the door was locked," he pointed out, sighing. Maria shifted and turned to face Isabel, her face red as well. "What's up?"

She looked at the floor, afraid of meeting either of their eyes now. "I heard that Alex and Liz were going out."

Maria started to laugh, but she stifled it when Isabel glared at her.

"Stacey saw them together today after chemistry."

"Stacey? Like, Stacey Schenin?" Maria rolled her eyes. "There's a reliable source."

"So, they're not?" Isabel asked.

Maria glanced at Michael, who was frowning. "Why do you care, anyway? You're with Kyle now."

"Because I want to stay in the loop. It's my duty."

Maria glared at her. "Well, considering they're my best friends, I'm pretty sure I would know if they were dating before the rest of the school knew."

"So they're not." Isabel smiled, a feeling of slight relief washing over her. "Okay. That's what I came here for. You can go back to doing...whatever it was that you two were doing before I showed up." She turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Maria turned her attention back to Michael, who was still frowning. "What?"

"They have been spending a lot of time together."

"Oh, Michael, come on. It's just because Isabel's with Kyle, and Max is with Tess. And then, we've been spending a lot of time together, too, so that leaves them with each other for support." She frowned at her own words, and met his eyes.

"My point exactly."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Normally she would have gone to Liz first, but when Maria didn't see her first thing Friday morning, her gaze fell upon Alex, who was standing at his locker, and she walked right up to him. "Hey," she said, leaning against the locker next to his. She used her copy of Hamlet to fan herself from the heat.

"Hey, Maria." Alex was re-organizing his locker before first period.

"So, what's new?" she asked casually, watching him from the corner of her eye.

"Not much." He moved his first hour books to the floor, and then stuffed his chemistry book back on the top shelf, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Really? Nothing at all?"

Alex frowned and glanced at her. "No, not really. Why? Should there be?"

"I don't know...Have you seen Liz lately?"

"Not since yesterday after chemistry."

Maria's eyebrows shot up, and she stared at him. "Did you guys really--?"

He turned his head to look at her. "Did we really what? Finish our chemistry lab?" he asked in confusion.

"Wait a minute. You finished your chemistry lab? That's it?"

Alex sighed. "Maria. What's this about?"

Maria hesitated.

He folded his arms across his chest and gave her a look. "Out with it, DeLuca."

"Okay, okay. There's this rumor going around that you and Liz were like, you know..."

"Actually, no, I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" Alex suggested.

"Stacey Schenin said she saw you guys making out after chemistry class." There. She'd said it.

Alex's jaw dropped open. "She said what?"

"Okay, so obviously it's not true...I didn't think you guys would do something like that and then not tell me about it." Maria let out a sigh of relief.

"Go back, rewind...Why would she say something like that?"

She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "She's a total gossip, Alex. She probably saw you guys talking and decided that West Roswell needed a new line of rumors to keep things interesting."

Alex frowned.

"So what did happen? Cause Liz was pretty distracted at work last night."

He sighed. "Yeah, Tess and Max were getting pretty hot and heavy yesterday during class. She was pretty shaken up."

"What's up with that mattress kitten's sex drive anyway? God, they should just get a room, and like, stay there. Permenantly."

Alex grimaced at the thought, glad Liz wasn't around to hear Maria's comment. Suddenly it dawned on him what Stacey had probably seen. "After class I gave Liz a hug and that's probably why she started the rumor."

Maria nodded in agreement. "It doesn't take much for Stacey to jump to conclusions."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Okay, I may be a bit dramatic at times, but I'm not that bad, Alex." Maria glared at him for a moment. "Oh, and Isabel heard the rumor, so you know. She came over to Michael's last night, and she sounded kind of worried."

"Really?" Alex asked in surprise.

Maria nodded. "Well, I have to get to class. I have to talk to Mrs. Lindsey about giving me an extension on that stupid Shakespeare project that's due Monday. Catch ya later, Alex."

"Later," he echoed. He paused and then knelt down and stuffed his books into his bookbag and hurried to his first hour class as well.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The heat was nearly stifling.

Alex sat at lunch, taking a long drink of orange soda when Isabel dropped down in the seat across from him. "Hey, Alex."

He looked at her, then glanced around, looking for Kyle, who was nowhere in sight. "Hey."

Isabel smiled and pulled her hair into a ponytail. "It's really hot today."

"Heatwave," he agreed. "Again."

"Yeah." She remembered the last heatwave, the one in December. When she'd dream walked into Alex's dream about the two of them dancing. "So, how's everything going?"

"Okay," he said, taking another drink of his soda, and glancing at his watch. "Where's Kyle?"

"Oh, he had to stay after class and talk to Ms. Hardy about something," she answered vaguely. She fiddled with the gold chain around her neck, and took a long drink of lemonade. "What have you been up to lately?"

Alex glanced at her. She was wearing a red tank top and a pair of white shorts. "You know...the usual. School, the band, my friends. A nice regular life."

Isabel bit her lip and looked away. "Alex, I know that what happened between us was hard for you...the way we ended it."

"The way you ended it," he corrected her. "You're the one who walked out, Isabel. Not me."

She sighed. "I want us to be friends, Alex."

"No, you want to make sure that you don't lose any admirers. You couldn't care less about having me as a friend as long as I worship the ground you walk on." Alex stood up as he saw Kyle coming towards the table. "Sorry. It doesn't work that way." He walked away from her, away from them, and headed back inside the school building.

Kyle glanced down at Isabel and then his gaze followed Alex as he disappeared inside. "He giving you a hard time?"

"Nothing I didn't have coming," she answered with another sigh.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So she's like this total jealous freak. She calls Max all the time, stops by his house. She even came by my house once looking for him," Tess was saying to Pam and Stacey. She rolled her eyes. "I swear, I think the girl's a stalker. Talk about desperate."

Alex listened to the girls talking behind him in study hall, and with each passing second was getting more upset. He wasn't usually a person who dealt well with confrontation, especially not with people he didn't consider to be friends.

"Max is thinking about having a restraining order taken out against her."

That did it.

Alex turned around in his seat and glared at Tess. "That's a lie and you know it."

Tess looked at him in surprise. "You're not with her 24 hours a day, Alex," she said calmly.

"You know what? The only reason you're saying all this stuff about Liz is because you're jealous of her. Of her and of the relationship she had with Max," he said in disgust.

"Right. Why would I be jealous of Liz Parker?" she asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Pam and Stacey watched them closely, listening with their full attention.

"Let me tell you something about Liz Parker, Tess. First of all, she's not a bitch. She doesn't have to wear three tons of make up to look gorgeous every day. Her hair isn't frizzy and weighed down with god-only-knows-how-many-pounds of hair spray. She isn't this fake, rude girl who comes to town thinking that all of the guys at school are going to fall in love with her. She's intelligent, and beautiful, and she's a caring person who doesn't go around making up lies about other people because she feels insecure about herself. She's everything that you can never be, Tess, because barbie dolls are made of fake plastic. And the only one who's desperate is you, because you probably actually believe all the lies you make up about her. God, don't you have something better to do with your time?"

Alex didn't wait for a response. "I don't even want to sit near you." He got up and moved to the front row of the class, leaving Tess speechless, and rendering Pam and Stacey with another mouthful of juicy gossip to spread around.

He could see the headlines now.

The Day Alex Whitman Put Psychotic Czechoslovakian In Her Place.

Yeah, Liz was right. He'd definitely been hanging around Maria too much.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"They're not," Maria informed Michael at lunch that afternoon.

He lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

"Liz and Alex...they're not going out or anything."

"Okay."

Maria sat down across from him and pulled a bag of carrots out of her Sailor Moon lunch bag. She took a bite of a raw carrot and stared into space. "Would it be so bad?"

"Would what be so bad?"

"You know, if Liz and Alex were dating."

Michael stared at her. "Besides the fact that it would probably end with them hating one another? Isn't it bad enough that Isabel and Alex barely speak, and Liz and Max avoid each other at all costs? You want to add to that list?"

"It's different," Maria said defensively.

"How?" he challenged.

"Because Liz and Alex have been friends, like forever."

"Even worse."

"No, I mean, it wouldn't be as easy to just walk away from one another...Too much history. And I mean, face it. There's practically zero hope for Max and Liz getting back together and even less than that for Alex and Isabel..."

"Maria, it's a bad idea."

"I don't think it is. I think Alex and Liz would be good for each other. They've already got a lot in common, and they get along great." Maria was starting to really warm up to the idea. "Now all I have to do is think of a plan."

Michael shook his head, but didn't say anything else. He knew that once her mind was made up, he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it anyway.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria flipped through a rack of dresses, frowning. Then she glanced up at Liz. "Find anything?"

Liz sighed. "You know, it seems like a waste to spend money on a dress for homecoming when I don't even have a date."

She cocked her head and looked at her friend. "I just can't believe that we waited until two days until homecoming to go shopping. Everything's all picked over," she complained. Just then something caught her eyes and she raced to the rack and grabbed it. "Liz, this is perfect for you!"

Liz stared at the dress. "I don't know, Maria, it's a bit...uh, daring."

"Liz, babe, trust me. You need a bit of daring in your life right now," Maria said, placing her hands on her shoulders.

"I don't know," she said doubtfully.

"Just try it on," Maria urged.

Liz sighed. "What have I got to lose?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you mean you're not going?" Maria asked in shock.

Alex blinked. "Just what I said."

"But we always go to homecoming together. You, me and Liz. We're the Three Musketeers, remember? All for one, one for all?"

"Maria, you have a date, remember?"

"Exactly!"

Alex looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"I'm going with Michael. Liz has already bought a dress. Alex, if you don't go and keep her company, she's going to sit around all night, watching Max and that mind-warping barbie from hell."

He frowned.

"I mean, you've seen how depressed she's been lately...I'm worried about her."

"What makes you think Max and it are going anyway?"

"Because I heard Satan's spawn talking to Pam Troy and Stacey Schenin about how excited she is about going. And I know that if Liz is there and sees them, something really bad is going to happen."

"So she already bought a dress?" Alex stared off into space.

"Yes. An expensive one." Maria studied Alex, trying to determine whether her guilt trip was having any effect on him. "I know that she's going to be sitting at a table alone watching Max and that Nega-trash, and she's going to spend the whole night crying her eyes out."

It was working. Maria could see Alex's frown deepen. She knew which buttons to push, and she knew Alex wasn't far from caving. He was a loyal friend, and she'd already milked that one. Now it was time to play on his protective instincts.

"And of course, then there's Tommy."

"Tommy?" he repeated, looking at her.

"Yeah, she hasn't mentioned him to you?" she asked, feigning surprise.

Alex shook his head slowly. "No..."

"She's probably afraid you'd get upset. I don't think she would've told me, either, if I hadn't seen it happen."

He leaned forward, his eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?"

A flash of anger crossed her eyes. "I was coming out of history and I was heading for the restroom to brush my hair...you know, a couple days ago when Liz and I went out to get ice cream?"

Alex sighed and waited for her to get to the point.

"Well, anyway, as I walked down the hall, I heard Tommy yelling, and he grabbed Liz's arm, and like, God only knows what the asshole would have done if I hadn't shown up. And he keeps harassing her about going out with him and he won't leave her alone. The guy just won't take no for an answer."

Maria could tell she just played the right card. Alex now had an expression of worry and anger on his face. One more push and he'd give in. "I mean, I swear the guy's headed for prison. It'll probably be for something awful like stalking or attempted rape, or--"

"What time does the dance start?" Alex interrupted.

Maria resisted the urge to pat herself on the back and flash a victory smile. "7. I just wish someone had actually asked her to the dance. She told me she felt like a big loser for not having a date to her junior homecoming. And don't you dare tell her I told you that," Maria added.

Okay, so that had been a total lie. Liz never said anything like that. But it was for a good cause. Maybe she was pushing her luck trying to get Alex to actually ask Liz to homecoming, but it was worth a shot.

"I can't believe none of the guys at school asked her," he said, shaking his head.

"Their loss. I mean, if they're too stupid to see what a great person she is, they don't deserve her anyway."

He nodded in agreement. "Is Liz working tonight?" he asked, glancing around the empty Cafe.

"No. She's upstairs. Something about spending the night trying to figure out her calculas homework?" Maria shrugged.

"Oh. Well, I think I'll go see how she's doing." Alex stood up and headed for the back door.

Maria's mouth stretched into a wide, triumphant grin. This was going even better than she'd hoped.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex knocked on the apartment door, but no one was answering. He pulled the key out from under the mat and let himself in as he'd done dozens of times since the Parkers had given him permission in jr. high.

The apartment was dark except for a light coming from Liz's bedroom at the end of the hallway.

He walked down the hall and couldn't supress a smile as he saw Liz sitting on her bed, meditation style as she tried to concentrate on her calculas homework.

Alex leaned on her doorframe and watched for a moment as she sighed and then pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.

"Headache?"

Liz looked up, momentarily startled. Then she smiled at him. "Yeah. Tension headache induced by calculas."

Alex moved into the room and sat down next to her. "Here, let me see if I can help," he offered, moving so he was behind her. He brushed her hair away from her shoulders gently, surprised by how silky-soft her hair was. Then he placed his hands on her shoulders. "You are tense," he commented, frowning.

Liz let her head drop forward as Alex massaged her shoulders, his fingers kneading the knots of tension there. "I forgot how good you are at this," she murmured.

He smiled and continued trying to get her muscles to relax, gently pressing his thumbs down on the knots in her neck. "Tell me if I hurt you." Alex shifted closer so he could see better, and he smelled the sweet scent of her papaya shampoo. He focused on easing her tension away. "Hey, Liz."

"Yeah?"

"You know, I was thinking...since Maria and Michael are going to homecoming together, maybe you and I could go together. You know, as friends. If you want."

She smiled, although he couldn't see it. "Sure."

"Better?" he asked as he moved his hands away from her shoulders.

"Yeah, thanks."

"You're welcome."

They smiled at each other and then both jumped when a crash of thunder shook the walls.

"Crap. I should probably get home before it starts--" Alex looked out the window and sighed as it was being pelted with rain. "--yeah, nevermind."

Liz stretched her arms above her head and yawned. "I'd drive you home, but my parents are on another star-gazing campout til Sunday and they have the car." She looked out the window. "Why don't you just stay until it slows down?"

Alex shrugged. "Yeah, why not."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex opened his eyes and immediately squeezed them shut again as sunlight invaded his vision. Apparently he'd forgotten to close his window blinds before he'd fallen asleep.

Wait a minute.

He opened his eyes again, startled to realize that there were no window blinds to be closed because he wasn't in his room.

Then he relaxed as he realized he must have fallen asleep while trying to help Liz with her calculas homework.

She was curled up on her side, faced away from him, sleeping peacefully.

Something about the way the sunshine streamed through the window and highlighted her dark hair struck a chord within him. She looked...angelic.

How many nights had he spent here? He'd lost track long ago. He and Maria used to sleepover at Liz's all the time, expecially when her parents went away on business. Liz used to hate being alone overnight. It always frightened her. He wondered if that was why she'd suggested he stay until the rain let up last night. Maybe she'd been hoping he'd remember her fear and stay with her. He was overcome with a wave of protectiveness for her.

Liz stirred and murmured in her sleep.

Alex leaned closer, straining to listen.

"No..." she whimpered.

"It's okay, Lizzie," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"Alex?" she murmured sleepily.

"I'm right here. You were just having a bad dream."

"Will you hold me?"

Alex shifted closer and she turned over so she was facing him. He pulled her into a protective embrace, rubbing her back gently. Within moments they had fallen back asleep.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria sighed and unlocked the Parker's apartment door with the key. She shifted her duffle bag to her shoulder and draped her dress over the back of a kitchen chair and headed down the hallway to Liz's room.

Her mouth curved into a smile as she saw Liz and Alex curled up aleep together. "Looks like somebody had a slumber party and I wasn't invited," she commented.

Alex groaned and squinted at her. "What time is it?" he asked as Liz stirred beside him.

"It's after noon already, and that leaves me and Liz with less than six hours to get ready for homecoming."

Liz sat up abruptly. "Ohmygod!" She jumped out of bed and raced into her bathroom. They heard the shower go on a minute later.

Maria smiled at Alex. "So...you look rested."

Alex glared at her and sat up sleepily, throwing his legs over the edge of the bed. "It was raining. Liz said I could stay."

"And staying over at your best friend's house now involves cuddling with her?"

"Don't start. She had a nightmare. I was just trying to help."

Maria frowned. "Liz had a nightmare? About what?"

He shrugged and pulled his shoes on and stood up. "I don't know. Can you tell Liz I'll pick her up around 6:30?"

"6:30?" she repeated.

"Yeah. We decided we'd go to homecoming together since neither of us had dates."

"Well, why don't you just meet up with Michael later? He's picking me up about that time, here."

Alex nodded. "All right. See you later."

Maria watched him walk down the hall and she smiled to herself. "Score one for Maria. Maybe I should do this matchmaking thing professionally."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz looked in the mirror as Maria curled her hair, and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other restlessly.

"Liz, babe, would you hold still?" Maria said in exasperation. She re-adjusted the curling iron and met her friend's eyes in the mirror. "You okay? You look kind of pale."

"No, I'm fine," Liz lied. "Are you almost finished?"

"If you'd have held still I would have been finished fifteen minutes ago." Maria turned off the curling iron and set it on the sink. She grabbed a brush and gently pulled it through Liz's hair. "There."

Liz smiled. "Thanks."

"What are you so nervous about anyway?" Maria demanded.

"I don't really know," she confessed as she turned to face her friend.

"Are you worried about, you know, seeing Max and the pillsbury dough bitch?"

Liz shook her head. "No, I don't think that's it."

"Well, what then?"

"I don't know, Maria...I just feel kind of...jittery for some reason." She turned and walked back into her room. She turned the radio on low.

"...I had a vision of love  
And it was all that you've given to me  
I had a vision of love  
And it was all that you've given me

I realized the dream  
And I visualized the love that came to be  
Feel so alive  
I'm so thankful that I've received  
The answer that heaven has sent down to me..."

Maria watched as Liz puttered around her room, occasionally looking through boxes on her dresser and glancing at the clock every few seconds. She just shook her head. Then she grinned when she heard the knock at the front door. "The guys are here!"

She flounced out of Liz's room and down the hallway as Liz remained standing in the middle of her bedroom floor. She reached out and flicked off her stereo and then looked in the mirror one last time before taking a deep breath and walking down the hall.

Alex was faced away from her, watching Michael slip a light blue carnation on Maria's wrist as Maria smiled broadly at him.

He was wearing a black suit and a red tie. She hadn't seen him dressed up like that since her grandmother's funeral a year ago.

Just then, he turned towards the hallway and caught sight of her standing there. He stared at her, taking in her form-fitting, spaghetti strap red dress with the split in the side that went up to her left hip. Then he met her eyes and smiled. "You look amazing."

Liz smiled back. "Thanks." She walked towards him and smiled at Michael. "Hey."

"Hey," he said, never taking his eyes off Maria.

Liz and Alex exchanged a grin and then Alex opened the box he was holding. "I got white...I wasn't sure what color your dress was," he told her as he slid the white rose corsage on her wrist.

"It's beautiful. Thank you," she said softly, smiling.

He offered her his arm. "Well, are we ready?"

"Let's go," Maria agreed, taking Michael's hand. They followed Alex and Liz out the door, and Maria gave Michael a knowing look. He just grinned.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz stepped into the gymnasium of West Roswell High and her eyes widened. The gym was decorated from top to bottom in silver and blue streamers and balloons. The student goverment had really outdone itself this year decorating for homecoming.

Alex leaned down and whispered, "Are you ready for an exciting night of dancing til you drop?"

She laughed. "Sure, why not?"

"This is not dancing music," Maria complained as she and Michael joined them inside.

"I don't think you can even consider this music," Michael commented, grimacing. "I swear, if I never hear this damn "Bye Bye Bye" song again, it'll be too soon."

"Let's fix this, Lizzie," Maria said, grabbing her arm.

"Where are we going?" Liz asked, startled.

"To get the DJ to play some real music."

Liz shrugged and followed her up to the DJ.

"Excuse me. Can we put in a request?" Maria asked.

The DJ leaned over, smiling at the girls. "Sure. What'll it be?"

Maria smiled.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Man, it's a hot one  
Like seven inches from the midday sun  
Well, I hear you whisper  
And the words melt every one  
But you stay so cool..."

Liz shook her head and laughed as she watched Maria dance up to Michael, mouthing the words to the song. Alex smiled and watched them, noting the pained look on Michael's face but knew he was participating in the dance because it made Maria happy.

"Hey, you want something to drink?" Alex suggested.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

"What is this? Pass Liz along the group?" Liz turned to see Kyle standing behind her. "First me, then Max and now Whitman? I suppose Guerin's next, huh?"

"Have you been drinking?" Liz asked suspiciously.

He ignored the question. "Lemme guess. You're not really going out, right? You're 'just friends' like you were with Max."

"Kyle, where's Isabel?"

"Oh...She dumped me. For some reason she seems to want to get back with Whitman."

Liz felt her throat tighten.

"Guess you're going to be dateless by the end of the night, huh?" Kyle smirked. "Don't you ever get tired of coming in second best with all the men in your life? I mean, Max ditched you for Tess, Alex is about to ditch you for his ex, and the only reason I'm standing here talking to you now is because Isabel dumped me. And since we're here, and we're both a couple of losers, let's say for old time's sake we dance." He reached out and grabbed Liz's hand.

"Kyle," Liz said, a touch of warning in her voice.

"Oh, come on, Lizzie...It's not like we've never danced before. What could it possibly hurt?" Kyle smirked again.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex thanked the freshman running the refreshment stand and started to head back over to Liz.

"Hi, Alex." Isabel smiled at him.

"Uh...hi." Alex shifted uncomfortably. She was wearing a knee-length, red silk dress, one that looked a lot different than the red dress Liz was wearing. "I was just--"

"Do you wanna dance?"

He blinked in surprise. "What happened to Kyle?"

"Yeah, that didn't work out. He's not my type." She took the two glasses he was carrying and set them down on the table. "Come on. Let's dance."

Before he could even try to protest, Isabel had pulled him out onto the dance floor, snuggling up against him with a smile on her face.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...He's everything you want..."

"See?" Kyle motioned over to where Isabel had her arms wrapped around Alex, and the two of them were dancing very closely. "You've been here what? Ten minutes? And already you're forgotten."

"...He's everything you need..."

Tears came to her eyes and she didn't know where they'd come from. She quickly blinked them back and tore her gaze away from Alex and Isabel.

"...He's everything inside of you  
That you wish you could be..."

"He doesn't want you. Just like Evans doesn't want you. Guess you're stuck with me." Kyle grinned at her and pulled her closer.

Liz squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the urge to cry again. Just dance with Kyle for this song and then you can go home, she told herself.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So I was thinking how nice it would be if we spent this dance together," Isabel murmured softly.

Alex shook his head. This felt wrong. "Isabel, I have a date."

"Who? Liz?" Isabel looked over her shoulder and motioned to Liz and Kyle. "I think she's found a replacement."

He frowned as he watched Liz and Kyle dancing across the room. Kyle was holding her tightly and Liz had her eyes closed. His stomach turned.

"So what are you doing Friday night?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Uh...I have no idea," he answered distractedly, keeping his eyes on Liz and Kyle.

"Well, why don't you pick me up around 7 and we can catch a movie?" She nuzzled his neck.

Alex pulled away from her suddenly. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to make things okay again," Isabel said, sounding offended.

"Look, Isabel...this isn't a good idea."

"What isn't?" she asked in confusion.

"You...me...us. It's just--not right. Not anymore." He felt bad, but when he turned and saw Liz pulling away from Kyle, tears in her eyes, he felt worse. "I'm sorry," he said softly to Isabel. He turned pushed his way through the crowd.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz felt tears blurring her eyes as she shoved her way through the crowd of dancing students. She just wanted to go home and go to bed and forget about everything...about everyone.

"Lizzie? Are you okay?" she heard Maria call.

"I'm fine!" she called back without turning around. She was almost to the door when someone blocked her path. She looked up and saw Tommy Mattheson standing in front of her and she groaned inwardly. "Excuse me." She tried to move past him.

"Going home?" He caught her arm.

"Yes." She pulled her arm away.

"Why don't I walk you?"

"No thanks." Liz tried to walk past him again.

He blocked her way, smiling down at her. "Come on, Liz. We can take a nice long walk, maybe go over to my place. My parents are away for the weekend--"

"Look, just leave me alone, all right?" Liz glared at him.

His eyes darkened. "What's your problem?"

"I think she wants you to leave her alone." Alex stood next to her, and put his arm around her waist.

"You can't seriously be dating this loser, Liz."

"The only loser here is you, you jerk!"

Tommy looked at Alex and then at Liz and shook his head in disbelief before walking past them and disappearing into the crowd.

Liz looked up at Alex greatfully. "Thanks," she said softly.

"No problem," he answered.

She tore her gaze away from his face and looked over to where Isabel was watching them. "You know, I'm kind of tired, so I think I'm going to head home."

Alex frowned. "Are you all right?"

Liz fought to keep her voice from wavering. "Yeah. You just...stay here and have a nice time, okay?"

"Well, I'll walk with you," he volunteered.

"No, really, I'm okay, Alex. I just...need some time alone to think, okay?"

Alex put his hands on her shoulders, staring at her worriedly. "Lizzie?"

She looked away. If she looked into his eyes one second longer, she'd crumble. "I'm just tired. Can you tell Maria and Michael I said goodnight?"

He nodded reluctantly. "Sure."

"Thanks. And thanks for the flower," she said, holding up her wrist.

"Anything for you," Alex said quietly.

That was it. Liz turned around and walked away, trying to keep a steady pace until she was outside of the school. Then she started to run.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What happened to Liz?" Maria asked, looking around the gym as she sat down in a seat next to Alex.

"She left." He leaned his head back against the wall.

"She left? What do you mean she left?"

"I mean, she went home. She said she was tired."

Maria frowned. "She didn't even say goodbye."

"Oh, yeah. She said to tell you and Michael goodnight." He sat up in his chair. "You know, I think I'm going to head home, too. I'll see you later." Alex stood up, stuck his hands in the pockets of his pants, and walked away.

Michael came up behind her. "Where's he going?"

"Home."

"What about Liz?"

"She already left. Awhile ago." Maria sighed and leaned against him as he sat down in the seat next to her. "Guess my matchmaking career just went out the window, huh?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz put her journal away and laid back down on her lawn chair, staring up at the sky. It was clouded over with massive, dark, low-hanging clouds. It was going to rain again.

Her knees still ached from when she'd fallen in the street as she ran home. She looked down at her legs and grimaced. She'd poured peroxide on the cuts and gravel scrapes, and she hoped that was enough to keep them from getting infected.

She closed her eyes as she felt another onslaught of tears approaching.

Why was it she kept falling for the wrong people?

First Kyle. Man had she misjudged him. He wasn't who she thought he was at all. Then Max. She should have known that wouldn't last. After all the problems there were from the start, she should have considered them as omens. And now...

Alex.

Somewhere in the past year, their relationship had changed, had grown.

When had she realized she'd fallen for him?

She tried to remember the exact moment, but she couldn't. She just knew that somewhere between their movie-nights, and their marathon phone calls discussing Max and Isabel, and just working on homework together, she'd started to feel differently about him.

Alex was everything she'd never realized she'd wanted until now. His kindness, his loyalty, his protectiveness...the way he'd held her after her bad dream about Nasedo this morning...he understood her, probably better than Maria.

But he didn't know the truth about how she felt.

Out of three of them, she wished the most that she hadn't fallen for Alex. He was her best friend. Now everytime she was with him, it was going to hurt. It hurt tonight seeing him with Isabel. She'd had no idea that it would effect her like this.

She felt the first sprinkles of the oncoming storm and the droplets mingled with her tears. Maybe the rain would wash away some of the hurt she felt.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex wandered the streets of Roswell aimlessly. He didn't really want to go home, but where else was he going to go?

Seeing Liz with Kyle earlier had made him feel ill. Was this what it was going to be like everytime he saw her with a new boyfriend? Was he going to want to rip the guy's head off?

He sighed as it started to rain. "Well, at least it suits my mood," he said aloud.

Alex thought about how Isabel had tried to get him back. A few months ago, he would have been thrilled. But now...

Now the only person he wanted was the one person he didn't stand a chance with. Because she thought of him as a friend, and that's it.

It was that moment that he realized he was standing in the alley behind the Crashdown. He blinked in surprise, not even sure how he'd gotten there. He looked up to the roof. He heard soft music playing. His house was a mile away and the rain was starting to pick up. Maybe she wouldn't mind a bit of company again tonight.

Alex took a deep breath and started climbing up the ladder to Liz's roof. When he reached the top and peered over the edge, he was startled to see Liz lying there on her lawn chair, crying. His heart leapt into his throat. "Liz?"

Her eyes flew open and she stared at him through the rain. "Alex?"

"Well, I can stand a thousand trials  
The strong will never fall  
But watching stars without you my soul cries..."

"What are you doing out here? You'll catch pnemonia," he said, crossing to her and kneeling down next to her chair.

"...Touch me deep  
True and true  
Give to me forever..."

"Why are you here? I thought you stayed at the dance," Liz said softly.

"I wasn't having any fun, so...I started to go home, and I sort of...found myself here instead," he admitted.

"...Cause I'm kissing you  
I'm kissing you..."

"What about Isabel?"

"Yeah, she and Kyle broke up. She asked me out Friday night."

"Oh." Her voice was barely audible.

He was confused by the tone of her voice. "What is it, Liz? Why are you crying?" He touched her cheek and brushed the wet hair out of her eyes.

Liz shivered and her eyes drifted shut again. She choked back a sob.

Alex reached out and gathered her into his arms, pulling her to him and cradling her against his chest. "Please tell me," he pleaded, stroking her hair.

She shook her head against his chest. "I--can't."

He closed his eyes. "Why not?"

"Because you'll hate me."

Alex pulled away from her and stared into her eyes. "That would never happen."

Liz stared back at him and then moved closer to his face. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his gently.

His eyes closed and he reached up and cupped her face in his hands, deepening the kiss. Liz moved closer to him until she was sitting on his lap. Her hands were resting lightly on his shoulders.

"...Oh, love the aching  
Cause I'm kissing you  
I'm kissing you..."

A moment later they pulled away, staring at one another. "Liz?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, scrambling to her feet.

"Why?" He stared up at her.

"You and Isabel are..." her voice trailed off and she started towards the window.

Alex jumped to his feet and grabbed her hand. "Liz, I told her no. I don't want to get back together with her."

Liz met his eyes. "Really?" she choked out.

He stepped closer to her and kissed her softly on the lips. "You're the one I want to be with." His arms circled her waist. "Liz?"

She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his again, silencing him. They stood on the roof for a long time, neither noticing that the rain had finally stopped.


End file.
